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Welcome To Our World!

Welcome to the wonderful, hectic, ever-changing and exciting life of Teri and Kevin Hales! We're a couple of crazy photographers currently based in the UK, in Suffolk County (thanks to the military...which is Kevin's day job)...but we spend alot of time raising our little tyke, just enjoying the small things in life and travelling the world too. We hope you enjoy getting to know us (maybe more than you really wanted to) and seeing our latest and greatest photographic victories as well. And...don't be a stranger! Bookmark this baby and come back often to see what's cookin' in our little English cottage. We'd love to hear what you have to say and get to know you too (that was a not-so-subtle attempt to say...leave comments. We love 'em). OK...now have fun looking!

Chad and Alexis

This past month brought a lot of special experiences my way. I got to spend a ton of time with family…and one of the most special experiences during that time was being invited to not only attend, but photograph, the union, love, joy and excitement of my niece, Alexis and her new husband, Chad. All of the weddings I’ve ever attended have been beautiful and joyous occassions…but this one was something special. I think you’ll be able to tell just by looking at the photographs how excited they are to be together. Photographing their wedding was one of the most special experiences of my life and I’m so grateful for it. It taught me that wedding photography really IS what I want to do with my life. I can’t imagine a better work environment, a better life spent than documenting love like this and in doing so, has renewed yet again, my own love for my wonderful husband.

Congratulations Alexis and Chad! May you find as much joy in these pictures as I found in taking them! I love you both!

 

 

McKenna

This is my cute, petite, peppy little niece, McKenna! I cannot believe she is already a senior in high school…and actually, I’m rather bummed that she won’t be there when we move to the Denver area so that we can hang out and spend more time together. July was such a fun month because I got to hang out with some of my nieces and nephews, get to know them again, and become friends with them again. They’ve grown into such incredible people…just full of life and fun! I can’t wait to see more of them here in a little over a year. Until then, Kenna dear…have an AWESOME senior year! Good luck with college apps. I hope you get into a kick-toosh art school!

USA, baby!

Although I’m currently living in England and think it is a wonderful and beautiful country and am SO THANKFUL for my experiences here…the fact of the matter is, I’m American…and everytime I go home, I LOVE that I’m American. I love the weather, my family, the food, the roads, the people, the traditions, and the scenery. I have just spent nearly 2 months in the good ‘ol US of A visiting family, taking amazing pictures of beautiful weddings (which will be posted shortly), hanging out with my nutty and wonderful relatives at 2 different family reunions, driving hours across the western part of the country, eating at every restaurant I dream about while living in England…some of them multiple times (I LOVE YOU CHICK-FIL-A!!!!)…and it never gets boring or tiring. I wanted to come back to England at the end of the trip to be with my husband and my stuff and my own bed…an air mattress and a couch just never are quite as comfy (sorry, mom)…but if those things had been in the US with me, I could have gladly stayed forever. And in fact, I look forward to our time in a short year when we’ll put down roots in COLORADO, baby!!! and spend a good portion of the rest of our lives taking pictures in that beautiful state in our wonderful country.

England…I love you and am glad I get to spend another year with you and the friends I’ve made here. I’ll never forget you. I’ll even probably shed tears when I leave you. I’ve grown so much as a person, a wife, and a mother while I’ve dwelt on your soil. But America…you’ll always be home.

Below…my stomach grew ALOT while on this trip. I went from barely looking pregnant and almost getting picked up on in my sister’s college church congregation to THIS right before I left. I feel the baby kick all of the time and it’s wonderful and weird each time it happens. We’ll find out if we’re having a boy or a girl in a little over a week!!!

Weslee started off our trip absolutely terrified of the water (swimming is NOT a common passtime in Mildenhall, England) and ended the trip floating in a murky lake with a life jacket and a pocketful of confidence. Cannot wait to get this kid into swim lessons in Denver.

My beautiful sister-in-law and my adorable first Aranda niece, Willow!

My mother was SOAKING up her time with her grandkids. Both live so far away!

Mom, Grandaddy and Weslee, right before the TRACTOR ride.

Weslee got the best surprise a kid that’s crazy about tractors could ask for…a RIDE on a REAL tractor out in the wheat fields with Grandaddy.

Stay tuned for previews of all of the amazing photo sessions I had while I was away!

Jordan

After Israel, we headed into Jordan for a day tour to Petra. Another incredible place…to imagine how they carved so many tombs out of the rock…and kept their bedouin trading society secret from everyone else was ingenious (or crazy). I will say that after seeing so much of Israel and then Jordan…I began wondering what all the fighting in this part of the world is all about anyway. It’s a DESERT, people! It’s not very productive…it can barely support goats (who’ll eat just about anything). In fact, I found myself feeling sorry for the poor goats and mules I saw wandering in the desert. Cruel and unusual punishment, if you ask me. However…it does produce some pretty pictures…and here they are.

At this point, our guide had the bus pull over so he could tell us about what we were looking at. He said, “This is Wadi Musa…which mean, Musa’s Wadi”. Well, thank you for that detailed information. What the heck is a Wadi? And who in the heck was Musa? It was only later when we were reading the signs on our hike to Petra that it explained that Petra is the place traditionally believed to be where Moses smote the rock and water gushed forth to aid the children of Israel. Musa means Moses. And Wadi is an oasis of sorts. So, this is Moses’s Oasis. And here is a picture of me with Musa’s Wadi in the background.

The impressive treasury at Petra.

And some other assorted carved tombs. So pretty.

Dennis and Maryann

Dennis and Maryann are a cute (much beloved) couple at my church. They were recently sealed together for time and all eternity as husband and wife in the London England Temple…and I was privileged to get to document it all on film. What a special experience it was to see two people who love one another so deeply…have walked the sometimes rocky path of life together for so long…commit to one another and to God not just for this life, but for forever. It was a joyful experience for everyone who got to attend…including myself! Thank you for letting me be a part of your very special day!

Israel

OK…So I have a really bad habit of going to AMAZING places, taking pictures for hours on end, transfering them to my computer…and then NEVER editing them. It’s sad really. The truth is, I come home happy (but exhausted)…I sleep it off for a couple of days and slowly ease into “normal” life…and then normal life happens and all of my editing time is taken up with my clients’ needs, and I never get to my own stuff. Silly, I know.

There’s also another reason I haven’t gotten to these pictures yet. I found out just days before this trip that I was PREGNANT! Holy Canoli!!! Infertile for nigh on ten years and suddenly, out of the blue…the little pee stick came out positive??? What in the world? So…life was a little different on this trip. So far (and I’m in week 12 now) there’s been no nausea…but there has been some serious food adversion. And just looking at some of these pictures brings back memories of food I seriously DID NOT want to eat. Hommus and I may never be friends again after my trip to the Near East. Cucumbers may suffer the same fate. But I digress…

We started our trip to the Near East with Israel…and we started our trip to Israel with a wonderful couple of days in Galilee. We drove ourselves all around (I thought we were NUTS when Kevin suggested we do it that way…but it was seriously safe and like driving in the USA). We stayed at Ein Gev and enjoyed the beautiful beach and sunsets, the hammocks under the palm trees, and I even got a massage. Ahhh…heaven! I can see why Christ chose this as his central location for preaching. It’s peaceful. There were lots of moments for pondering and reflecting. I could almost picture him teaching by the sea side. So much different than the busy hustle and bustle of Jerusalem (where we went next).

Jerusalem was a mass of people. Jewish, Christian, and Moslem people flow through the city. Horns never stop blaring…even late into the night. (Kevin never did sleep very well. Luckily, I brought ear plugs). Music and people can be heard from early in the morning until midnight. Old Jerusalem pulsates to the beat of a thousand bazaar vendors hawking their wares to passersby. There was SO MUCH to see and do. The Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, Hezekiah’s Tunnels (which were incredibly fun…and the water made the heat so much more tolerable), the Garden Tomb, the Western Wall Tunnels. Some of the most incredible historic ruins and sites I’ve ever seen. Just magnificent.

The true jewel of Jerusalem was the Palestinian people, however. I loved conversing with them. They were incredibly helpful, polite and friendly. Some of the them would talk to us about the sites for long periods of time. Just gracious people…and we were so glad to get to meet and know them.

While in Israel, we also got to tour the mountain fortress of Masada, float in the Dead Sea and slather ourselves with mud, and swim in the Red Sea at Eilat. It was an incredible week. One I’d love to repeat when we’re NOT expecting a child. I’m sure the falafel would be MUCH more appealing then…and the kebabs…and maybe even the cursed hommus.

In the morning the Sea of Galilee is so glassy calm…and it gets progressively choppier as the night wears on. I love this shot of the sea at sunset!

The Wailing Wall at night.

This incredibly handsome man only makes the scenery that much more amazing. (How did I get so lucky again???)

One of the most incredible things I saw the whole trip. This was a WATER CISTERN at the desert fortress of Masada. When I read about cisterns up there…I was thinking like little bowls that caught water…I didn’t realize it was a system of whole huge caverns carved out of the mountain that could fuel such ridiculous extravagances as a swimming pool and bath house.

Looking lovely in Dead Sea Mud…

And last…the whole reason for our trip to Israel in the first place…to walk where Jesus walked, see what he might have seen…and understand a little better the context of the holy scriptures. Though I didn’t need to go to Israel to know that Christ really did walk on this earth and die for me and all mankind, and even more miraculously, rose again from the grave…it certainly helped me understand the stage where he taught a little better. I can picture what it might have been like during his life…and his death…and it makes the scriptures all the more special and personal to me.

Careissa

There are some people in this world that simply scatter sunshine wherever they go…it doesn’t matter the event. This girl has been a source of sunshine in my life (and countless others) for about 2 years now. I can’t remember ever seeing her when she wasn’t smiling (and even when I asked her not to smile on this shoot…you could see her reliable and lovely smile starting to creep back up just seconds later). I can’t remember a time when she hasn’t been concerned for others…she’s always helping, always thoughtful, always full of compliments for others. Our world could use a few more like Careissa…and I’m so happy I know her!

Jamie

It felt so good to get back into the swing of things yesterday. I miss photography so much when I’m away and travelling. I love working with people. Taking pictures of our travels and the landscapes is fun…but it’s not my passion. I love capturing the personality of people.

Jamie is here in England temporarily visiting her family. (I wish she were staying much longer, she’s so much fun to be around). She’s smart and talented and BEAUTIFUL. I’ve never had such hair envy in my life! (She taught me a few things during the shoot. Who knew you had to use products like hairspray to make your hair stay in place? Hmmm… I’ll have to try that.) Anyway…here’s my favorites (though there were so many, I had a hard time choosing).

Holy Travels, Batman!

Well, we’re back online after a VERY long sabbatical. In the last month, we’ve been to Normandy, France for Memorial Day, Ireland, Israel, Jordan and Egypt. I feel so super blessed to have gotten to see and do such cool things…and now my body and mind are ready to just stay home for a little while. I’ve got to digest all of the fascinating information I’ve learned while I was gone! A longer post with more details and pictures will be forthcoming…once I catch my breath. Until then, it’s good to be home for a little bit.

Le Claire Family

Another amazing shoot in Bury St. Edmunds. This shoot was so much fun. It felt like playtime the entire shoot. They say that the “family that plays together, stays together” and this family has the stuff it takes! The parents and kids chased the soccer ball, ran and jumped and just enjoyed being outside together. The Abbey Gardens are one of their favorite spots…and are quickly becoming one of mine as well. Thanks, ya’ll for the tip about the pizza restaurant…we’ll try it out soon! Enjoy the pictures!